Ted Jackson/The Times-PicayunePart of Phase I was the demolition of the Gate C bridge that led from New Orleans Centre to the Superdome. In its place, a massive staircase has been added, serving as an entryway into the stadium from the new 60,000 square foot Champions Square presented by Verizon, a sports and entertainment area on LaSalle Street.

Doug Thornton, regional director of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome and the adjacent New Orleans Arena on behalf of the state, said the work on Phase I of the $85 million renovation to the Superdome is complete in time for Saturday's Saints exhibition opener against the Houston Texans.

Workers have scrambled in recent weeks to complete the massive project that began in January.

"What I am most pleased about is we were able to finish it on time, " Thornton said. "There is still some touch-up work that still has to happen in the next (few) days before we open the season, but our team has done a great job. I'm happy that we were able to get it done on time. Our big thing is you've got to be able to finish a project before you can play a football season."

The new suites are displacing the old press box, but the network anchor booth, officials' replay booth and house control booth will remain on the 300 level.

Phase I also included the remodeling of the Saints' locker room, more than doubling the size of their old chambers and adding high-tech medical and X-ray equipment.

A 6,000-square-foot Saints Team Shop located at Gate B also has been added to go along with the ongoing addition of the re-doing of the outside of the Dome. Also part of Phase I was the demolition of the Gate C bridge that led from New Orleans Centre to the Superdome.

In its place, a massive staircase has been added, serving as an entryway into the stadium from the new 60,000 square foot Champions Square presented by Verizon, a sports and entertainment area on LaSalle Street.

"This is like a brand new complex, " Saints owner Tom Benson said. "This is a tremendous first-class building. We are going to have something to be very proud of. I'm really very excited about it."

The only disappointment, Superdome officials said, is that the installation of a pair of express elevators that would have taken media, coaches and game-day personnel from ground level to the new press box wasn't completed in Phase I. Thornton said the delay was due to a rejected bid. But he fully expects construction to begin after this season, and the elevators to be in place for the 2011 season.

"It's a big improvement to the space, " Thornton said. "The 16 new suites that have been added where the press box was located is a great feature for the fans. It's an upgrade for the building. The press box came out very nice, even though it is a little higher up in the seating section than it was before. It's state of the art. We have all the digital capabilities up there, completely wireless."

After the 2010 season, construction will begin on Phase II -- the major portion -- of renovations.

As part of those upgrades, the lower bowl of the stadium will be reconfigured, adding more than 3,000 seats. Construction crews will widen the Plaza Level concourse, enabling more concessions and restrooms to be installed, and new club lounges will be built under the Plaza Level.

"I'm looking forward to next year when we undertake the renovations of the Plaza-level seating and the expansion of the concourse, " Thornton said. "That's going to be a big job, and the main objective is to get it finished on time so that we can start the season."